Hematite story in current SI

December 15, 2012

MARQUETTE - The Ishpeming High School varsity football team's story of triumph and tragedy has been one of the most compelling stories of the year for area residents, and it's now earning the same attention on a national scale.

Jeff Olson, head coach of the Hematites, wrote the back page article featured in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, which came out Friday.

In the article, Olson tells the heart-wrenching tale of a group of high school students who had to deal with the loss of two of their friends and teammates as well as an eighth-grade football player whose two sisters attend Ishpeming High.

Article Photos

Fans in the Ishpeming High School student section at the Superior Dome in November hold signs in remembrance of Daniel Olson and Derrick Briones, two athletes who died recently. (Journal photo by Matt Wellens)

One of those friends was the brother of the team's quarterback. Another was Olson's son, Daniel, who had struggled with depression and severe anxiety for years. In the article, Olson said he hopes discussing these types of issues, which often are suffered in silence, would help lessen the taboo of talking openly about depression and suicide.